An introduction to radiative transfer. Methods and applications in astrophysics (Q2781743)

This is a convenient graduate level textbook that can also serve as a hand-book to professional astrophysicists in the field of the radiative transfer. It provides basic definitions, detailed derivations of equations and descriptions of methods of solving them under different physical conditions relevant to astrophysics. The whole text is divided into 13 chapters, a symbol index and subject index. Each chapter is followed by a number of exercises and list of references. NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEThe book begins with a chapter on definitions of basic quantities of the radiation field, local and non-local thermodynamic equilibrium, line source functions for a two-level atom model, among other things. Equations of the radiative transfer are derived next which includes the general time dependent equation in three dimensions, boundary conditions and solving methods under various approximations. The two-point boundary problem is treated in detail in a separate chapter, and so are the principle of invariance and discrete space theories. Another chapter is devoted to the transfer equation in moving and co-moving media including the line formation with aberration and advection. Then follow the chapters on the escape probability, including elements of the probabilistic radiative transfer, and on operator perturbation methods. Polarization of light, resonance line formation and radiative transfer equations for polarized light in non-magnetic and magnetic media is given in two chapters while the last chapter of the book deals with equations for multidimensional and time dependent cases.